Youth of May

Firstly, I'd like to talk about Myung Hee. I genuinely feel that Kim Myung Hee as a character was very worthwhile and I'd like to compliment her. she left a deep impression on me, and I think she deserves more recognition as her character. She is so kind, humble and always putting herself first, someone who is so genuine, ordinary yet so full of compassion, never once really thinking for herself and always so helpful. I felt a lot for her in the whole drama. Her acting was superb.

Next, Hee Tae - a very charming guy who just suits Myung Hee super well. His character is also worth praising. Someone who seems quite different from usual guys and just someone in the show whom I can relate to.

Soo Ryeon and Soo Chan are equally good characters and totally worth talking about. Soo Chan especially is someone just so dependable and kind in nature, helpful and admirable. I also really admire Soo Ryeon for her courage and her resilience in the things that she does.

Both boys - Jung Tae and Myeong Soo are both decent children (cute too XD) and people who will grow up to be really good people.

The entire drama may have seemed typical at first but it grew a lot more meaningful after and the ending was always something that made me tear up. All characters even the small ones don't go unnoticed by me, & I mean ALL the small/side characters are unforgettable. People often forget about them but they have a crucial part to play too and should not be taken for granted.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of 'youth of may'. The little scenes matter a lot. I'll always remember this drama. Definitely a rare gem. The plot and characters are really fine and something that is not just a watch-for-leisure kind of drama but has its inner depth in all its characters and plotlines which I feel for deeply.

(The osts are well sung as well, super fitting to the mood of everything - my favourite ost would be 'winter of may' as well as 'days in memories')

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Short & Sweet

Secret Ingredient follows two childhood friends into a story of love and redemption through food, warmth and shared memories. It's both heartwarming and sweet.

It is a very simple story of reconciliation between these two lost friends - Ha Joon / Jack, the son of a chaebol in South Korea and Maya from the Philippines working as a chef in Indonesia. There are secrets, there are misunderstandings, but there are also changes and forgiveness.

I enjoyed watching Ha Joon throughout this show with his sincere heart to win back Maya. His accent is really amazing to hear.

There is not really much romance but it's more a story on friendship, family and cooking. Loved how they used the concept of cooking / food to express feelings, memories and time.

Follow Ha Joon as he tries to find the secret ingredient to a second chance with Maya whilst the both of them navigate their own problems back home.

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A highly entertaining food reality show

I started watching this show from in its early airing stage, so I developed some attachment towards this show and casts when it ended.

Both team's members (Morocco & Naples) worked super hard in the preparation of the different menus each day, in purchasing the various ingredients from local stores, promoting their food products, and in serving each and everyone of their customers. Though the food preparation process by the team took long hours and wasn't showed much throughout the episodes, I loved their humor, teamwork and their zesty and resilient spirits. They were very sincere in their serving and the good chemistry formed between the teams helped to make the workload between them much easier.

Mr Paik was a great businessman, knowledgeable, tough in the face of adversity while also being super adaptable and a quick-thinker. His food ideas were also always very appealing. His strategies employed to increase sales were generally effective as well. I grew to like and admire him as a chef and businessman - his cooking skills are amazing!

I especially love the Naples team. Yuri was the positive energy of the group - full of warmth and enthusiasm, John was the reliable, calm and charming hall manager and Jang woo was a great and attentive student under Mr Paik - very trustworthy in his editing skills and cooking. All of them were very passionate in each of their roles. I also liked Fabio and Simone, their two part-timer servers.

The only slight disappointment in this show would be the failure to reach their sales goals for this programme, that the preparation process was mostly edited out as well as the fact that more research could be done by the production team before the show. Nonetheless, it taught the casts and myself many meaningful lessons.

Overall, this show was every bit exciting with
the next episode leaving you wanting to watch more. The food made there really looked and (probably tasted) delicious and it was interesting learning about the different food cultures and seeing their interactions with the locals. Additonally, the ups and downs experienced by them made the episodes much more fun and memorable.

The entire show was a whole process of growth and I enjoyed watching this show immensely. It's definitely a highly recommendable Korean food reality show! Looking forward to (a possible) season 2 with hopefully the same casts!

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